Visa Update System – Everything You Wanted to Know

Visa Update System - Everything You Wanted to Know

If you are a Chinese citizen and looking to visit the US, there are a few pointers you would want to focus on. This applies to anyone holding a B1, B2 r a B1/B2 visa to the US and one of the most important options you would need to check would be the EVUS or Electronic Visa Update System.

What is Electronic Visa Update System?

Well, it is a statutory requirement for the Chinese citizens who hold a visa to visit the US wherein they should authorize their electronic travel to the US region. It would be applicable for a visit either for business or leisure travel purposes.

The travel authorization scheme was introduced in 2016 and made it mandatory for Chinese residents to update their visa information through an online process. As the name itself should be indicative, the process involves an online electronic mode of authorization.

How dos EVUS work?

The EVUS was implemented for the purpose of authorizing the Chinse citizens to travel to the US by updating their visitor visa for travelling in the US region. As per the provisions of the EVUS regime, you can stay in the US for a period of six months after validation.

The EVUS validation would be valid until two years from the date of authorization. During the course of this period, you can visit the US multiple times. However, each of those visits should not be more than six months at a stretch. Of course, you can plan multiple visits each of them extending to six months or less.

What are the requirements of EVUS?

The EVUS visa authorization requires you to comply with a few requirements. Ensure that you are ready to comply with these needs.

The requirements would need you to go with include

  • You should be a Chinese citizen with a valid 10-year B1, B2, or B1/B2 U.S. visa
  • The passport should be valid for at least six months as on the date of validation.
  • You should also have access to a valid email address so that you would be able to receive updates and alerts.

Your passport and visa documentation are linked to the EVUS verification. You would need to present these documents on arrival into the US for verification purposes. If you have a Visa of any other genre than B type, you need not apply for EVUS validation.

How to apply for EVUS Visa validation?

If you satisfy the requirements outlined in the above section, you can apply for EVUS through a simple electronic mode of validation. You will need to fill in the relevant details of your passport and Visa as these documents will be linked to the EVUS authorization. You would also need to provide a few additional details and answer a few security questions.

The best part is that the EVUS validation does not need you to pay any kind of charges for updating and authorizing your EVUS validation. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stated that the services will be free for use as of now. It has also been stated that the services may have a charge associated, but until the time the charges are implemented, you can opt for your EVUS Visa authorization free of cost.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently indicated that it wants to add up a few social media questions to the EVUS application. The rule has not been implemented as of now, but will soon come into force once the public feedback system ends on November 4. The exact status of the social media questions would be dependent on the feedback received from the public.

If you think you need any assistance in filing for the EVUS visa authorization, you can get in touch with an agency that handles the task.

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